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As I observe the police crackdown of the Occupy movements from Atlanta to New York and from Oakland to Chicago, I am troubled. Namely for two reasons the first being how inept many of us African Americans are in supporting and understanding the axiological meaning of the protest and second, how fickle, taciturn and downright ill-informed we are as African Americans and a nation as a whole. This is made even more obvious as I listen to talk show host that seem to consistently abrogate logic for the sole purpose of manifesting partisan political support. Unfortunate also is the fact that many who lead these charges offer their myopic positions on the premise of objectivity yet fail to encourage the type of fully involved intellectual discussions that were the foundations of both the platforms of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.

To the first point, I am amazed. It seems as if we as a culture, albeit not monolithic, purport ourselves in a monolithic disposition. Taking the support for our current President alone and his political party, it has been estimated that regardless of affect or effect, African Americans support both at an astonishing 95 percent clip. More astonishing is that the section of our community that used to engage in the politics of what was best for the people as opposed what was best for political accomplishment is no longer in existence. Instead they have returned back to the day prior to Dr. King and are more akin to the black ministers who engaged him to stop his protest and accept the status quo as opposed to stand on the side of right, liberty and justice.Read more…

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(Taken from the archives of TheCrusade.net-3/19/2003)Today’s Ceditorial is on Gold digging, an art form perfected by many women, specifically in the entertainment and sports industry, and even in the corporate world. Why? That’s my question to the women (for lack of a better word!) who engage in this lifestyle. I mean, besides the obvious answers like security, being taken care of, not having to work, what else is there?

I had a conversation with a young lady yesterday and she greatly disappointed me when she mentioned she’s looking for a doctor or lawyer to take care of her, then explained that she was tired of going to school and having bad luck with men.

Mind you, she made the choices of the men she had relationships with. Most disappointing was the fact that she wanted to stay home and take care of the kids while he worked. That’s understandable, but why are you educating yourself so that someone can take care of you? You’ve just wasted all that time and money making yourself more marketable in the workforce instead of just linking up with a jock when you were in high school. If that was your plan, why waste time? Get ‘em while they are young and corruptible! Read more…

Hair Liberty’s Nicole Hollis, our Resident Curl Chemist, is answering your most urgent hair questions. Got one for her? Email me at nikki@curlynikki.com using “Hair Liberty” in the subject line and she may answer your question right here on the blog.

Q: Should I really use grease on my hair?

A: Grease is usually a combination of petroleum (cleaned up sludge from the earth) and mineral oil (even cleaner, liquefied sludge from the earth). Petroleum-based products come from the same Earth that we pollute everyday with factory run off, pharmaceuticals, household chemicals, etc. Questions about the safety of mineral oil and petroleum in cosmetic products come from concern that they may not be clean enough after coming from such a dirty place. The petroleum and mineral oil used in medicinal creams (Neosporin, for example) gets cleaned much more thoroughly than the stuff used in hair products.Read more…

Most of us loved “In Living Color” back in the day. The skits were original and creative and the cast was incredibly talented. The show produced household names like Jamie Foxx, Jim Carey, Damon Wayans, and quite a few others. Well, there’s good news for fans of the show. Fox says that they are going to bring the comedy back after nearly 20 years. Perhaps this might give us a reason to start watching television again.

Keenen Ivory Wayans is going to be the executive producer for the show. Fox has ordered two half-hour specials to be shown as part of its 25th anniversary celebration. There are options in the contract such that if the show is successful, it may come back on the air for good.

‘In Living Color” hit the scene in April of 1990. It was responsible for bringing hip hop dancing into the mainstream with the ever-so-famous “fly girls,” and also brought the kind of comedy that you didn’t see on TV back then or even now. The height of the show’s fame occurred when the cast pulled in 25 million viewers during halftime of the 1992 Super Bowl. Although some shows can get away with severe political incorrectness (Southpark, Family Guy), this liberty hasn’t always been true for black actors and directors, especially on issues of race. Eventually, Fox got rid of the show after the Wayans family irritated a few too many big shots. Read more…

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(Reprinted with permission from the original writer, me! Taken from the archives of TheCrusade.net- 4/24/2003)

0444//24/2003Isn’t it funny how artist’s shift power in the music industry? In the beginning, you’re just trying to come up, shopping your demo, doing open mics, networking but no one acknowledges your efforts. You’re always ignored, frowned upon as a nuisance, and virtually shut down from trying to get your foot in the door. You know you’re the shit and don’t let that treatment get you down. The downside is people may perceive your confidence as cockiness and keep you out simply to validate their perceived power, real or not.

Then you get someone who actually believes in your talent. You’re finally in the door and can now enjoy the wonderful industry politics you have craved to be a part of all your creative life! As you create the hottest shit you can, you’re forced to plead to your label head for the freedom to make the best project possible. You cater to their egos just to get the right decisions made for you and your career. Besides that, you’re also fighting your A&R, who wants to commercialize your project even further just to ensure radio will play it. Read more…

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It’s DJ Chill Will of the University of Michigan’s WCBN 88.3 FM. Home of the longest running Hip Hop show in the Mid-West and maybe the country. Check our Top 40 chart for October 27. And be sure to tune into the show weekly on 88.3 FM in the Ann Arbor/Metro Detroit area or at www.wcbn.org Saturday night’s from 9pm until 12 am est.

What’s happening folks? Had another great weekend and then I started feeling sick. So hopefully I’ll be well by my Friday and Saturday gigs. Rocked at The Blind Pig with a sold out crowd for the Yela Wolf, Rittz, and DJ Craze show. I couldn’t believe people were at sound check in lawn chairs waiting for doors to open 4 and a half hours early. But it was great to see Craze do his thing and the crowd was feeling it. I had rocked with Yela Wolf at a Slaughterhouse show a while ago and I’ve seen him put it down. And he killed it again and big shout to KP and the Ghetto Vision staff that was in the building. But Rittz if your not up on him, dude is dope kills it lyrically and is cool as hell. Craze told me dude was dope, but Rittz made sure there was no question when his set was over. Hopefully I’m feeling better but either way I’ll be rocking Friday and Saturday night for Halloween. Read more…

Remember the shy kid who used to scribble on paper in the back of your class? He may not have said much, but when you finally got a hold of his paper, you thought to yourself, “damn, this kid has talent.” The kid in the back of the class is now a grown man. And that man is Rapper Big Pooh. If you’ve followed Pooh’s career, you’ve seem him grow up on the mic. From the lesser known member of Little Brother to the artist and label head we see today, Mr. Jones has come into his own. Days before the release of his next solo effort, Dirty Pretty Things, Rapper sat down with TWV to discuss the new album, why he’s still got a chip on his shoulder and developing confidence in the rap game. Read more…

PSA: Thanks so much for everyone who came out last night for the Financial Seminar/Book-Signing! Despite the whether we had a great turnout! We had an intimate conversation about money, the community, and life. My love and appreciate goes out to those who couldn’t make; We will have more Seminars and Book-Signings coming soon! Read more…

First Lady, First Mom and First Fly Girl Michelle Obama is about to be a first-time author—and MyBrownBaby has your first look at her new book!

American Grown: How the White House Kitchen Garden Inspires Families, Schools, and Communities, tells the story of the edible White House kitchen garden Michelle planted on the South Lawn—a project she says was inspired by her daughters, Sasha and Malia, and her family’s desire to change its eating habits. Through telling the story of the garden, Michelle, a passionate advocate for healthful eating and exercise and the creator of the landmark Let’s Move campaign to fight childhood obesity, explores how increased access to healthy, affordable food can promote better eating habits and improve health of families and communities across America. American Grown also includes recipes and gives tips and resources for how to create community, school and urban gardens, support local farmers’ markets and make small lifestyle changes to achieve big health results.

American Grown will be issued in both digital and print editions; the print edition will be a gorgeously illustrated, four-color hardcover that includes pictures of the White House garden and Mrs. Obama throughout the seasons, as well as other community and school gardens from around the country. American Grown goes on sale nationwide on April 10, 2012 from Crown Publishers. Read more…